Burg Neipperg

The castle complex comprises two primary sections, known as the Upper Castle and the Lower Castle, each dominated by a massive defensive tower called a bergfried. These were enclosed within a shared ring wall that created a fortified courtyard.

The Lower Castle is now enveloped by dense vegetation and features a Romanesque bergfried approximately 9 by 8 meters at its base and rising about 20 meters tall. Its walls are robust, reaching 2.5 meters thick. A distinctive feature of this tower is a latrine oriel that projects from the east side, offering a functional yet uncommon architectural detail. The main entrance to this tower is situated on the south side, approximately 10 meters above ground level, suggesting that access was originally provided by a wide balcony connecting to the residence. The lower residential and economic buildings associated with the Lower Castle have disappeared, possibly dismantled over time to supply stone for constructions such as the Upper Castle.

The Upper Castle presents a nearly square bergfried measuring around 10 by 10 meters and standing 26 meters high, with walls just under 2 meters thick. Unlike purely defensive towers, this one was designed for habitation and features two biforium windows—twin-arched openings—facing southeast. Inside, the ground floor contains a windowless dungeon, accessed originally only by a trapdoor from the living quarters above. The first floor served as a dwelling space, equipped with an ornate, open fireplace. Later modifications added a ground-level door on the southern side for improved access.

Originally, the main entrance to this tower was positioned on the northwest side roughly 10 meters above the base and reached via an elaborate wooden balcony. This balcony linked the tower’s living areas with a stairway leading upwards to the higher floors. The third story housed the knights’ hall, notable for arcade windows likely crafted by masons from the Maulbronn monastery workshop, lending artistic detail to the fortified tower. Above this hall was a defensive platform, which around the year 1330 was raised by about 5 meters, creating a new fourth floor and expanding the tower’s height and defensive capabilities.

The two massive bergfrieds of the Upper and Lower Castles were probably connected at some point by one or more wooden bridges, facilitating movement within the fortress without the need to descend to the courtyard.

Surrounding the upper tower was an almost square ring wall. Within this enclosure stood a multi-winged main residential building, or palas, built in the 16th century at the highest point of the complex, northwest of the bergfried. The cellar beneath this building contained a chapel dedicated to Saint George, reflecting the religious devotion of its inhabitants. The palas’s first floor featured a large knights’ hall measuring nearly 19 by 6.6 meters, illuminated by a Gothic-style triple window, combining medieval defensive architecture with residential and ceremonial spaces.

Eastward from the Upper Castle’s residential tower lay a neck ditch (a defensive trench) oriented toward the mountain slope, which has since been filled in. Beyond this defensive feature stood a steward’s building constructed in 1579, which completed a small courtyard with the ditch area, serving administrative and possibly domestic functions related to managing the estate.

Together, these surviving structures and earthworks embody the layered history of Burg Neipperg, from its medieval origins through adaptations in later centuries, preserving a tangible connection to the nobility and craftsmanship of the region.